


my compass may be broke (but you follow where I go)

by HearJessRoar



Series: seein' you with eyes wide open [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen, Identity Reveal, The one where Alya finds out, With a dose of post reveal love square shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 10:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6325069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HearJessRoar/pseuds/HearJessRoar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“No wonder you didn't care that Adrien was getting all chummy with Ladybug, you've been sneaking around with Chat Noir! Does Adrien know about this?”</p><p>Adrien, who was well aware that his girlfriend quite liked kissing Chat Noir, said nothing from his perch on the chaise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	my compass may be broke (but you follow where I go)

**Author's Note:**

> idk the idea of alya getting the wrong idea about the love square amuses me to no end
> 
> zero editing, as usual. help this bad proofreader out if you spot anything

Marinette was not a morning person.

Weekends before noon were for sleeping, not for talking, not for going out, and certainly not for saving the world.

Hawkmoth, the ass, didn't get the memo.

She grumbled sleepily as she flopped back into bed, sore and cranky to boot. Ugh. She hadn't even known there were still fishmongers in Paris, let alone fishmongers up before the dawn on a Saturday available for akumatization.

Yawning widely and stretching her arms until her spine made a satisfying pop, Marinette curled around her pillow, ready to drift off for a few years.

Her phone buzzed next to her, and she cracked one eye open, contemplating the morals of being a superhero who beat up whoever was calling. Checking the screen, she sighed.

“Alya, it's like seven in th-”

“Adrien’s cheating on you.”

Her world crashed down around her. 

A sudden coldness swept through her, chilling her down to her bones. Her room seemed to spin nauseatingly as her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out whatever Alya was saying.

_No. He wouldn't, he loves me, he loves all of me, he said so no no no no no NO_

“What?”

Her broken murmur interrupted her friend's rant, halting Alya in her verbal tracks. She seemed to realize how lacking in tact her greeting had been, and let her voice slip down to a calming whisper. “I don't know for sure yet, but Mari, he looked really comfortable in Ladybug's arms today. I saw him brush her bangs out of her eyes.”

And just like that, Marinette could breathe again.

Ladybug.

Alya thought her boyfriend was cheating on her with _Ladybug._

_Thank god._

She managed to turn her relieved giggle into a sniffle as Alya, bless her, raved about superheroes flirting with taken men.

“And when I talked to him after she set him down, all I got was _‘Alya, you're holding my arm really tight,’_ and _‘Alya, please let go of me, my fingers are turning blue,’_ Ugh, men!”

“Alya, I'm sure it's nothing, he was probably just caught up in the moment of being saved. I mean,” she sat up as Tikki settled comfortably on her pillow. She drew her legs to her chest, feeling her face warm as she admitted, “I've kissed Chat Noir on the cheek for saving me before. I don't think it's really a big deal.”

Alya scoffed and Marinette could practically see her hip popping to the side the way she did when someone questioned her methods.

She knew exactly the moment Alya was talking about, too. He'd used Cataclysm too early in the battle, trying to destroy the handle of the Fishmonger’s gutting knife. They'd both figured the akuma to be hiding there, but it hadn't, instead having been inside the apron splattered with various fish stains.

His Miraculous had worn off, and while he was able to keep out of sight of the akuma thanks to some convenient barrels, he couldn't get away from the dock they were trapped on to go feed Plagg. Her only option had been to grab Adrien and swing him to safety before they could regroup.

He'd playfully ruffled her bangs in front of her mask before she set him on his feet a block away from the battle. Her grin was probably more flirtatious than it should have been as he promised to return to her side as soon as he could.

She hadn't seen Alya, but that explained why he hadn't come back until she'd already cleansed the akuma. He'd probably been doing his best to shake the blogger and just couldn't. Once Alya had her teeth in something juicy, she wouldn't let it go. And her best friend's boyfriend flirting with the local superhero? A juicier scoop than the time she'd figured out Ladybug was in their class.

“You didn't put it on the Ladyblog, did you?”

“Of course not! But I'm really tempted to write a piece on her needing to keep her hands to herself. She had her mitts on your man!”

Marinette sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Alya, no. She was doing her job.”

“Doing her job involves groping the guys she saves? Since when? And you know, you're being shockingly cavalier about this.”

She fought the urge to slam her head against the wall. It was too early for this. “I just think you're misinterpreting something that's probably completely innocent.”

“And I think you're so afraid of losing Adrien that you don't care if he's screwing around behind your back!”

Marinette actually gasped. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it, sure she'd heard wrong. The other end of the line was deafeningly silent when she brought it back up.

Finally, she heard Alya mutter, “If you won't stand up for yourself on this, I'm gonna have to do it for you. I know what I saw.”

The line went dead.

“Alya? Alya!”

She tossed the phone to the edge of her bed, flopping back down and disturbing Tikki. Pulling the pillow over her head, Marinette took a deep breath, then “AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGH”

-

Several hours and still no sleep later, she was checking the Ladyblog every fifteen minutes. Alya wasn't answering her calls or texts, and Adrien had been no help at all, apologizing several times for the problem he caused before Marinette hung up on him out of irritation. 

He sent her a crying cat emoji seconds later, so she knew his feelings weren't hurt.

Marinette decided that it was perfectly acceptable to have chocolate pudding for lunch, considering the emotional day she'd already had before noon. Tikki gave her a disapproving look as she ascended the stairs with the large bowl clutched to her chest.

Pointedly scooping up a large dollop of pudding and popping it in her mouth as she made unwavering eye contact with her kwami, she refreshed the Ladyblog again.

And promptly choked.

“Ladybug or Ladyhater? Our Local Heroine Can't Keep Her Hands Off Other Girls’ Boyfriends.”

Coughing slightly, she refreshed the page again. Forty nine views and counting.

_Merde._

Marinette felt an irrational wave of anger surge up within her. She was being demonized for saving her own boyfriend. Not that anyone, least of all Alya, knew that, but still. And now Adrien would be dragged through the mud, too. His father would have him under lock and key for years after such slander against the Agreste name.

She dialed up Alya again. When she picked up, Marinette didn't give her a chance to speak.

“Take it down, Alya. Now.”

“Marinette, I-”

“Take it down and I'll tell you who Ladybug is.”

“What? Mari, you-”

“Come by in twenty minutes. But you have to take it down. I mean it, Alya.”

She hung up, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. She couldn't look at Tikki.

“I have to,” she mumbled, looking towards the ceiling and blinking back tears. “I can't let her do this to him.”

Taking a calming breath, she sent a text to Adrien, who had no doubt seen the post as well. 

_“I'm telling her,”_ it read.

No response.

When she refreshed the page, the piece was gone.

-

The tapping on her trapdoor startled her out of the fugue she'd sunken into, trying to figure out how to tell her best friend the biggest secret she'd ever kept.

He didn't wait for her answer like he usually did, instead flipping the door open and swinging his way into her room.

“What are you doing, kitty cat?” she asked, not bothering to move from her loose-limbed sprawl against the back of her chaise. He didn't seem to mind, joining her as soon as his boots hit the floor.

Marinette found she couldn't meet his eyes, even as he turned her face towards his, clawed tips of his gloves pricking under her chin. The tears threatened to fall again. 

“Bugaboo, is this really what you want? You know you can't go back once she knows.”

She huffed out a breath through her nose and grabbed his hand with both of hers, wrapping her fingers around his wrist. She felt so much more anchored with him, like he kept her from floating away into the ether of her own thoughts. “Adrien, I have to. If your father had heard about that post of hers-”

“That's my problem, not yours.”

She laid her palm against his cheek, running her thumb against the edge of his mask. “I've said it once, I'll say it again; your problems are our problems, silly cat.”

She didn't hear the door as she pressed her lips to his, but she definitely heard the shouted, “OH MY GOD,”

They pulled apart quickly. Alya, still standing in the stairwell, had both hands clasped over her mouth. 

She flung herself away from Chat and off the chaise, grabbing a still frozen Alya by the arm and tugging her the rest of the way into her room. She kicked the door shut just as Alya began to recover from her short circuit.

“YOU CALL THAT A KISS ON THE CHEEK?”

Marinette winced as Alya began pacing angrily in front of her, accompanying her rant with furious hand gestures. “No wonder you didn't care that Adrien was getting all chummy with Ladybug, you've been sneaking around with Chat Noir! Does Adrien know about this?”

Adrien, who was well aware that his girlfriend quite liked kissing Chat Noir, said nothing from his perch on the chaise.

“What am I saying, of course he doesn't. And you!” she rounded on Chat, who blinked back with deceptively innocent eyes. “I thought you and Ladybug were a thing! Does she know you're cheating on her with a civilian?”

Chat shrugged and Marinette groaned, bracing herself for whatever was about to come out of his mouth that was sure to make the situation worse.

“I really don't think she minds, to be honest.”

Alya looked ready to choke him, her hands twitching at her sides. “I can't believe the four of you, sneaking around behind each others’ backs and not even caring!”

“Two.”

“Sorry, the _two_ of you-wait, what?” Alya halted, giving Marinette a strange look. Marinette fiddled with her earrings nervously, giving Tikki a look from where she hid behind the computer monitor. 

“There aren't four people. Just two.”

Behind Alya, Chat nodded. Marinette took a deep breath.

“Tikki, spots on!”

Blinded by the pink light in front of her and confused by the green light fading behind her, Alya spun around, baffled.

Chat Noir was gone. 

In his place was a very sheepish Adrien Agreste. He gave her an awkward wave as she gaped at him. Plagg, who didn't do well with emotions that weren't about food, gave her a dismissive look before retreating to Marinette’s desk, presumably to watch the impending explosion.

Alya watched the cat kwami for a second before her eyes pulled back to Adrien, clearly baffled.

He smiled knowingly, gesturing for her to turn around.

She did.

Ladybug didn't feel much like a superhero at that moment, with Alya looking at her with surprise, awe, and a hint of betrayal in her eyes. 

She mostly felt rotten.

Alya’s knees gave out beneath her and she crumbled to the floor. Ladybug reached towards her, worried, but Alya scooted backwards, away from her. She bumped into Adrien's legs, took one look up at him, and flinched away from him, too.

Ladybug curled inwards on herself, hunching and trying to appear smaller under her best friend's unrelenting stare. 

Overwhelmed, Alya pulled her legs protectively to her chest, hiding her face in her knees. Ladybug could hear her muttering to herself. 

“This isn't happening, this cannot be happening,”

She bit back a sob, releasing the transformation. Marinette dropped to the floor herself, tugging on her jacket sleeves.

Adrien, who seemed to be the only one left in the room who had control of his emotions, knelt beside Alya. She looked up when she felt his hands on her shoulders.

“Alya, she's still your best friend. This shouldn't change that.”

Marinette, gazing blankly at the carpet as Tikki stroked her hair, felt the tears spill over, running down her face in salty rivulets. She sniffled, reaching up to wipe at her face, but another hand got there first.

“Mari, please don't cry,”

She looked up to see Alya, her own tear-sticky face inches from her own. There were wet mascara marks on the lenses of her glasses.

“I'm sorry, Alya,”

Alya shook her head, giving her a watery smile. “I wouldn't have told me, either.”

Marinette hiccuped, pulling her into a tight hug. She met Adrien's eyes over Alya’s shoulder glaring at him as he lounged comfortably on the chaise. “Stupid cat, _you_ didn't have to tell her.”

Alya laughed against her, pulling away. “I'd still be confused about when you became such a floozy if he hadn't.”

She sat back with a thump, rolling her neck and wiping smeared makeup from her cheeks. Her smile was tentative. “I can't even say I didn't have you on my list of suspects. I did, but I didn't really think, well,” she trailed off, shrugging helplessly.

“Nobody did,” Marinette said, patting Tikki on the head. Alya was staring at the little red kwami. “I tried to quit, actually. I thought there'd been a mistake. Meanwhile,” she smirked, eyes flicking over Alya’s shoulder. “Plagg says Adrien acted like he'd been waiting his whole life for superpowers. I literally screamed the first time I transformed, but oh no, Mr. Perfect is like ‘I got this.’ Still irritated.”

“You try growing up watching anime and not have your superhero transformation sequence worked out in advance.”

Alya spun around on the floor, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Yeah, okay, I can accept her being Ladybug, but you being Chat is throwing me for a loop, I won't lie.”

Adrien grinned, his Chat Noir smile, wide and mischievous. Alya shuddered. “Never mind, I see it. I don't know why that's creepy but it is.”

Marinette shoved her playfully. “Don't be rude, we've saved your blogging butt more times than I can count. A little thanks would be nice.”

Alya threw her hands up in exasperation. “My entire blog is dedicated to you, what more do you want? Sheesh, who knew Ladybug was a gloryhound?”

“I did.”

“Shut up, Adrien.”

Marinette burst into giggles at his affronted look, Alya staring him down with her arms crossed.

And while they'd have to have a serious talk about Alya’s blog and the emphasis on the secret part of “secret identities”, it could wait until after Alya finished threatening Adrien with the promise of a catnip-filled mouse toy.


End file.
